Through The Hall family ZAA Wildlife Conservation Fund, ZWF Supports the International Rhino Foundation.

In 1993, recognizing that the escalating crisis facing all five rhino species was not receiving the attention it deserved, the Black Rhino Foundation expanded its mission and became the International Rhino Foundation (IRF). The International Rhino Foundation is dedicated to the survival of the world’s rhino species through conservation and research. At the heart of IRF’s vision is the belief that these magnificent species should endure for future generations, and that protecting rhinos ensures the survival of many other species that share their habitat, including people.

All five living rhino species (Black, White, Indian, Sumatran and Javan) are in terrible peril – from poaching, from forest loss and habitat conversion, and from human settlements encroaching on their habitats in Africa, Indonesia, and India. IRF works to protect particularly threatened rhino populations and their habitats in the wild, while also supporting management of and research on captive populations to improve the chances for long-term survival. In all our field programs, we work closely with local communities to ensure that those people living in closest proximity to rhinos, many of whom are also struggling as a result of poverty and environmental degradation, will serve as active partners in wildlife protection and will reap direct benefits from conservation efforts.

IRF’s current major programs include:

1) Indonesia Rhino Protection Units, anti-poaching patrol units which protect Sumatran and Javan rhinos in the wild;
2) the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, a research and breeding center for Sumatran rhinos in Way Kambas National Park;
3) the Javan Rhino Study and Conservation Area, a program to expand the only viable habitat for Javan rhinos in the world by 4,000 hectares;
4) Indian Rhino Vision 2020, a program aimed at increasing the number of Indian rhinos and spreading the population out over more protected areas;
5) Zimbabwe Lowveld Rhino Conservation Program, which provides management, monitoring and veterinary interventions for black rhinos in Zimbabwe; and
6) Operation Stop Poaching Now, a campaign to provide training and equipment to anti-poaching units in Zimbabwe and South Africa. IRF also supports scientific research, regularly providing grants for work that is directly applicable to management, propagation and conservation of rhinoceros species in nature and in captivity.

It is critically important to protect these populations!

There is no doubt that poaching is an immediate and dire threat to rhino populations. With rhino horn fetching $50,000- 100,000 on the Vietnamese black market, the lengths that poachers will go to in order to kill every rhino possible is difficult to fathom, and even more difficult to overcome without significant resources. Currently poachers are outmanning and outgunning anti-poaching units.

ZWF believes that creating educational and economic incentives to motivate local communities to see the value in protecting rhinos is foundational to encourage conservation. Additionally, resources to fund the operation of anti-poaching units is the “nuts and bolts” of protecting rhinos day to day. Finally, at this juncture, captive breeding as a conservation safety net must be part of the “big picture solution.” Your donations will enable you to join the ZWF Conservation Team in protecting and preserving rhinos around the world.